Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar felt India pressed the panic button when they put KL Rahul in a direct face-off with Abhimanyu Easwaran in the second India A match in Melbourne earlier this week as he urged the selectors and the team management to end their obsession over backing the India wicketkeeper-batter.
On the back of a stunning start to his first-class season, where he scored four centuries in four straight matches across three competitions, Easwaran was picked in the India squad for the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia and touted to replace captain Rohit Sharma, who is reportedly set to miss the opening Test match in Perth owing to the birth of his second child.
However, India, moments after their humiliating 0-3 loss against New Zealand at home, sent Rahul to Australia for an India A match in a bid to gain early preparations for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and was pitted against Easwaran in the MCG game as he was asked to open keeping in mind Rohit’s absence in Perth. This was despite India specifying clearly that they look at Rahul purely as a specialist middle-order batter.
Manjrekar, speaking to ESPNCricinfo on the Rahul move, reckoned that India are in panic mode after the embarrassing whitewash at home.
“Clearly, India is in panic mode. They are a bit shaken by what happened against New Zealand at home. And that’s when plans start to go awry. And that is where I believe that one has to actually look at it in a different way, where you think there’s nothing to lose here,” he said.
‘There’s some fascination that the team management and selectors have for KL Rahul’
Manjrekar then attacked the BCCI’s selection committee and the team management over their obsession with Rahul, despite the batter not repaying their faith. Rahul was backed ahead of Sarfaraz Khan in the Bangladesh Test series, where he returned with 106 runs in three innings with one fifty. The management kept their belief in the experienced batter for the New Zealand opener in Bengaluru as well, but he managed scores of 0 and 12, leaving them to move on from Rahul for the subsequent matches.
However, after Sarfaraz failed in the second and third Test against New Zealand, India went back to Rahul and sent him early to Australia, hinting that the veteran of 53 Tests could earn a comeback with an impressive knock in the practice game. But he failed yet again, managing scores of 4 and 10.
“So that is the time when you go back and do the right thing. And play players who deserve to get a chance. KL Rahul. You know, I don’t know, there’s some fascination that the team management, selectors have for him that they just want him part of the playing 11, whether it’s at the top or down the order.
“Maybe Abhimanyu Easwaran hasn’t convinced them as much. But it’s not for us to play God and decide that maybe Abhimanyu Easwaran won’t get run in the Test match. We’ve had many examples in the past where players have surprised you by the performances. Sometimes you yourself are surprised by your own sort of performance as to the height that you reach. So keep it simple and make the right choice.”
Further highlighting the downfall of Rahul in the format, Manjrekar reckoned that despite Easwaran not having completely convinced the management with his poor returns against Australia A, picking hm might be the right thing to do.
He said: “I would actually say KL Rahul should consider himself very lucky to be getting opportunities. Such comebacks and opportunities, very few players over the years in the history of Indian cricket have been given this kind of a deal.
“So whether it’s up the order, down the order, doesn’t matter as long as he’s getting a chance to play in the Playing XI, despite the kind of record that he has. Now the average has dropped to 33 after 50 Test matches. I guess somewhere they hope that KL Rahul might find that form that he’s capable of.
“He’s got 100 in Australia. So that is why he keeps coming back into plans. But I think it’s time to now maybe, not with conviction, that you think Abhimanyu Easwaran is the guy to open along with Jaiswal. Maybe that doesn’t fill you with too much confidence, but that would be the right thing to do.”
